Canadian reaches first final after missing out at 400

LONDON — Ryan Cochrane posted the third-fastest time in qualifying Friday to advance to the men’s 1,500-metre freestyle final.

Cochrane — whose bronze at the distance was Canada’s only swimming medal of the Beijing Olympic Games — posted a time of 14.49.31, behind Yang Sun of China and Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia.

It will be the first final of the Games for the Victoria native, who won the silver medal in the men’s 1,500-metre free at the 2011 world championships. Cochrane didn’t qualify for the 400 freestyle final despite winning his heat. Asked if the result had fired him up — he finished ninth and thought he made the final when a swimmer was disqualified, only to have the disqualification overturned on appeal — he said the opposite was true and it was tough to regroup.

“It was the emotional toll from it, along with the subconscious stress I’ve put on myself over the past year,” he said. “It didn’t really come to the surface until the meet started.”

Cochrane’s goal for Saturday’s final is simple.

“All of us are vying for [gold],” he said. “It’s going to be an exciting final. I just want to put together a race that I’m proud of.”

Canadian swimmers have won one medal so far in London, a bronze from Brent Hayden in the men’s 100-metre freestyle.

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